The HRD Ministry is in a fix over a letter by National Bal Bhavan (NBB) Chairperson Shalu Jindal asking the Ministry to initiate the process for selection of a new Director for the institution. NBB is an autonomous organisation under the HRD Ministry and since the appointment of incumbent Director MC Usha Kumari is already under litigation at Delhi High Court, senior officials of the Ministry are in a bind over Shalu’s move. Shalu Jindal is wife of former Congress MP Navin Jindal.
The Delhi High Court last week while posting the matter on April 22, 2015 asked the petitioner, Rishi Kumar Vashisht, to file an amended petition and at the same time indicated that if the appointment of Usha Kumari is found illegal then appointment of Vashisht would be possible. While NBB and others including Usha Kumari are the respondents, the petitioner approached the court after he was denied the post by former HRD Minister MM Pallam Raju.
“Counsel for the petitioner seeks permission to file an application for amendment of the writ petition because at present there is no relief claimed in the writ petition that the petitioner should be appointed as a Director of National Bal Bhavan and which would be possible after and if the appointment of respondent no.3 (MC Usha Kumari) is illegal and is terminated,” said Justice Valmiki J Mehta in his order on January 19, 2015.
The Ministry had set up an inquiry in the appointment process of Usha Kumari done by Raju in December 2012 by ignoring the Ministry’s selection committee recommendation of Rishi Kumar Vashisht, currently Deputy Director at Centre for Cultural Resource and Training (CCRT). Kumari was favoured as she was wife of former Private Secretary to former HRD Minister late Arjun Singh. In the panel of list, Vashisht was followed by Usha Kumari.
Kumari has further invited trouble for herself as she recently denied information to an RTI applicant who sought details of pensions and gratuity and related benefits of former NBB Director Amita Shaw who was chargesheeted for financial bungling at Bal Bhavan. Kumari in her reply to the applicant termed it as “personal information” that cannot be “shared”.